Baby panty

ABSTRACT

A panty comprising a sheet of drapable, water-impervious material having at least one tuck in the central portion thereof, in order to define an expandable crotch area is disclosed.

United States Patent Schaar 1451 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] BABY PANTY [56]References Cited [72] Inventor: Charles H. Schaar, Lake Zurich, 111.UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Assignee= The Kendall p m p l 318,141 5/1885Samuel ..l28/287 2 Filed; Aug 13 9 0 3,030,956 4/1962 Nichols ..l28/284[211 App. No; 63,509 3,322,122 5/1967 Daniel ..128/284 Related {1.8.Application Dat Primary Examiner-Charles F. Rosenbaum [63]Continuation-impart of S61. No. 41,377, May 28, P'T'evmam Rbennchdm1970' 57 ABSTRACT I K812113928; A paw comprising a sheet of dranable,watebimpewwus [58] Field ofSearch ..l28/284, 286, 287 mate! havmg leastthereof, in order to define an expandable crotch area is disclosed.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMARZHQYZ 3,650,273

sum 2 0F 2 FIG 5 BABY PANTY This application is a continuation-in-partof copending application Ser. No. 41,377, filed May 28, 1970.

This invention relates to a baby panty, and more particu larly to awaterproof panty suitable for use over either a cloth diaper or adisposable absorbent pad.

Conventional rubber pants," which are now commonly made of plastic,generally have a gathered, elasticized construction around the leg andwaist portions. While this type of panty has gained widespreadacceptance, it is costly to manufacture, and a more economical articlewould be highly desirable. Furthermore, elasticized rubber pants must bemade in different sizes to accommodate babies of varying weights, andeven the provision of a range of sizes does not preclude an improperlyfitting garment. Thus, the degree of elasticity around the babys legsmust be sufficient to prevent leakage without cutting into or bindingthe skin.

To obviate this problem, rubber pants comprising a single sheet ofmaterial which is snapped together in the stomach and waist regions ofthe baby have been introduced. While eliminating the problems ofdiscomfort associated with elasticized pants, it will be apparent thatthe fluid retention properties around the leg portions are poor in sucha construction.

In accordance with this invention, a panty having excellentconformability to the limbs of a baby and enhanced comfort is provided.The structure and fit of this panty is such that one size can be usedfor babies of widely varying weights. Furthermore, the construction ofthis panty is so economical that it can be provided as either adisposable or a re-usable product.

More in detail, the panty of this invention comprises a sheet ofdrapable, water-impervious material having top, bottom and side edges,each of said side edges having at least one tuck in the central portionof said sheet, said tucks being in substantial alignment with eachother.

The structure of this panty will be better understood by reference tothe following description of the invention and the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the top of one form of the panty of thisinvention prior to expansion.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article of FIG. 1 after expansion.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top of another embodiment of the inventionprior to expansion.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the panty of FIG. 3 assembled as itwould appear if worn by a baby.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top of another form of panty according tothis invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the leg encircling portion ofanother embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the panty of FIG. 6 assembled as it wouldappear if worn by a baby.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a panty which comprises a generallyrectangular sheet 10 of a drapable, water-impervious material, which hastop and bottom edges, 12 and 14 respectively, and side edges 16 and 18.The side edges have tucks at points 20, 22, 24 and 26. As will beapparent from the drawing, tucks 20 and 24 are in alignment with tucks22 and 26 respectively, forming an expandable area generally designatedas 28. While the tucks form a box pleat in this embodiment, the termtuck" is used in the claims and specification herein to include anyconstruction that shortens or diminishes the length of the panty toprovide an expandable area. Thus the term tuck excludes gathering, whichcould not form an expandable portion extending transversely of thepanty. The tucks are secured at areas 30, 32, 34 and 36 by any suitablefastening means such as crimping, adhesive, doublefacedpressure-sensitive adhesive tabs, stapling, combinations thereof, etc.Areas 30, 32, 34 and 36 are shown for purposes of illustration only;fastening can be achieved at other locations in the area adjacent to theside edges of the panty.

In order to use the panty illustrated in FIG. 1, one can grasp the topand bottom edges and pull in a direction parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the panty, along a line offset from a line passing through thefastened portion running in the direction of pull, or hold the panty atany convenient point and tap it in the central region, thereby obtainingthe article shown in FIG. 2, wherein areas 38, 40 represent flaps formedby folding the sides of the panty inwardly. Altemately, one can applythe panty illustrated in FIG. 1 directly to the baby, expanding it inthe process. In an alternate embodiment of the construction shown inFIG. 1, tucks 24, 26 can be wider than 20, 22; when the edges in such apanty are folded inwardly, the area in the region of the wider tucks isnarrower than the rest of the panty, providing a panty having a definedfront portion.

FIG. 3 illustrates a panty comprising a sheet of drapable,water-impervious material 40 having top and bottom edges 42 and 44respectively, and side edges 46 and 48. In this embodiment the tucks arein the form of edge pleats 50 and 52; they are retained by heat sealingto the adjacent sheet in areas 54, 56, 58 and 60. The side edges aretrimmed to define an arcuate configuration thereby fonning a centralarea 62 of reduced width. This panty is prepared for use in the samemanner as described for that of FIG. 1; in FIG. 4, it is shown as itwould appear if worn by a baby.

FIG. 5 depicts another form of the panty of this invention comprising asheet of drapable, water-impervious material 70 having a top edge 72, abottom edge 74 and side edges 76 and 78. Only a single edge pleat 80 isdefined by the tucks in this embodiment; the tucks are retained by meansof heat sealing at areas 82 and 84. The expandable area in this panty isthe edge pleat.

In FIG. 6, a panty comprising a sheet of drapable, water-imperviousmaterial and having top and bottom edges 92 and 94 respectively, and aside edge 96 is shown. In this structure, the tucks form two box pleatsat 98 and 100; the tucks are retained by heat sealing at areas 102 and104. FIG. 7 illustrates an end view of the assembled panty of FIG. 6 asit would appear if worn by a baby.

Any drapable, water-impervious material may be employed in constructingthe panty of this invention. Preferably, a thermoplastic material suchas polypropylene film, polyethylene film, ethylene-acrylate copolymerfilm, ethylene-propylene copolymer film, vinyl chloride polymer andcopolymer films, etc., are employed. In the preferred embodiment of thisinvention, 1 to 2 mil sheet of polyethylene is employed.

While panties of various dimensions can be constructed, a pantyapproximately 13 inches wide by 17 inches long will be suitable for mostbabies.

The panty is applied over, or in combination with a gauze diaper or adisposable, absorbent pad. It is secured by any conventional means, suchas safety pins, double-faced pressuresensitive adhesive tapes, etc.

The panty of this invention is highly advantageous in that it presentsan economical means of effectively preventing leakage around the legs ofthe baby. Thus, the tucks provide a cusping effect, insuring a snug, yetcomfortable fit.

What is claimed is:

1. A panty comprising a sheet of drapable, water-impervious materialhaving top, bottom and side edges, each of said side edges having atleast one tuck in the central portion of said sheet, said tucks being insubstantial alignment with each other and being retained so as toprovide an expandable area extending transversely of said sheet.

2. The panty as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sheet is a drapable,water-impervious thermoplastic material and said tucks are retained bymeans of heat sealing.

3. The panty as claimed in claim 2 wherein said tucks form a box pleat.

4. The panty as claimed in claim 2 wherein said sheet has arcuate sideedges defining an area of reduced width in the central portion thereof.

1. A panty comprising a sheet of drapable, water-impervious materialhavinG top, bottom and side edges, each of said side edges having atleast one tuck in the central portion of said sheet, said tucks being insubstantial alignment with each other and being retained so as toprovide an expandable area extending transversely of said sheet.
 2. Thepanty as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sheet is a drapable,water-impervious thermoplastic material and said tucks are retained bymeans of heat sealing.
 3. The panty as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidtucks form a box pleat.
 4. The panty as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidsheet has arcuate side edges defining an area of reduced width in thecentral portion thereof.